The Incubus Archduke Dreams of a Pet Human - Chapter 22

As Theticia backed away, her back suddenly bumped into something. Startled, she turned around and saw a handsome man standing there.

“To think that no one asked such a beautiful lady for a dance.”

“…Lord Asmod? How did you come here?”

Asmod’s arrival, like salvation to the lone Theticia, caused a wave of murmurs to ripple through the entire ballroom.

“Who exactly is that man?”

“My goodness, he’s so incredibly handsome.”

Amidst the pouring gazes and whispers, Theticia’s cheeks flushed bright red. Even if she tried to hide it, it was obvious she was thrilled beyond measure.

Satisfied by her reaction, Asmod smiled and kissed her hand as if inviting her to dance.

“Ah.”

Chandelier light gleamed brilliantly over her bowed head. His black hair shone with a sharp violet radiance like a finely honed blade.

When Asmod finally lifted his head, Theticia held her breath at the sight of his face. Meeting his gaze, everything else blurred and the noisy whispers seemed to retreat far away.

Entranced, Theticia murmured while staring at Asmod.

“Not a jewel beetle… more like a stag beetle.”

Asmod smiled faintly.

“Is this how you see the world?”

He slowly surveyed the surroundings with careful eyes.

This was Theticia’s dream. The world she saw was perfectly reflected here.

“It seems your memory isn’t impaired.”

Asmod lightly marveled at the vivid scene. The shape of the chandeliers, the dresses of the ladies, nothing was vague or blurred. Even the bricks in the walls, which a normal person would have softened into indistinctness, were depicted in precise detail.

But there was one thing.

None of the faces were clearly visible. Some faces looked like pale dough, others had eyes, noses, and mouths stuck in the wrong places.

Dreams are naturally built on memories as pillars, with imagination as the roof. Even if reality and fantasy are intertwined, the rules of this world remain clear.

Theticia, absorbed in Asmod’s face, was unaware he was observing her dream.

“Purple-gold beetle… Yes, not a silk beetle, but more like a purple stag beetle. The purple tone is stronger than turquoise.”

As Theticia murmured, trying to match the color to her hair, Asmod gently stroked her cheek, and the noisy surroundings became tumultuous once more.

“Gasp…!”

“So, you really do have an illness. You cannot see others’ faces, but you can see mine. What an interesting coincidence.”

“Y-yes? Ah, yes. You mean my chronic illness, right?”

Flustered, Theticia hurriedly looked around, nervously checking as if afraid someone might mock her.

“Theticia.”

Asmod lightly caught her trembling chin and fixed her gaze on him.

Then the previously chaotic surroundings fell silent.

‘It’s easy to understand. If you love my face so much, why did you allow yourself to be separated from me so easily? Loving me in this sea of faces would be the easiest thing.’

Looking around, faceless nobles murmured to each other.

“They really are a mismatched pair.”

“How does she even face someone so creepy?”

All the words spoken by the dream’s characters were no more than Theticia’s own thoughts, cloaked in other faces, the fears and feelings she had hidden.

‘She seems to care a lot about what others think. Maybe there’s a way to use that.’

Asmod had entered her dream to uncover Theticia’s true inner thoughts. He could have invited her to his own dream, but he did not want to risk the danger.

“I came to ask something. Why are you trying to cross the corrupted forest? You don’t seem like a wanderer, but a noble lady.”

“I was just planning to go to Kraven. To sell herbs and study. To find the cause of my illness.”

That answer was already known.

“Was there no other reason?”

A sudden gust of wind blew across the open balcony, revealing Theticia’s agitation. She softened her eyebrows, pursed her lips, and answered.

“I didn’t want to marry someone I didn’t want to. So I ran away.”

Only then did Asmod’s cold gaze soften.

‘…Typical.’

Since you were trying to cross the corrupted forest, I wondered what great reason you might have. But hearing such an answer, like that of a teenage girl, Asmod barely held back a weary smile.

“Still, I’m truly glad to have met Lord Asmod. I didn’t know that being able to see a face could bring such joy.”

Theticia’s cheeks flushed with a light excitement.

“Maybe it makes me feel… a little less lonely.”

At Theticia’s shy smile, Asmod’s pupils flickered softly.